Your browser does not support iframes. For maximum efficiency, please upgrade to your browser's latest version or use an iframe compatible browser such as Internet Explorer, Netscape, Opera, Mozilla, Firefox, Bezilla, Galleon, WarpZilla or Lynx.

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 9

Pros:

Awesome quality for price, sturdy construction

Cons:

focus ring is near impossible to use, autofocus a little slow

one of the best kit lenses i've seen, great quality, good construction, especially for the price. don't bother trying to manual focus it, the ring is tiny and hard to use,
i did find the autofocus a bit slow but thats expected on a non USM lens
but all up a great lens, good price and a great way to get started in sports or wildlife photography.

powerlight

Registered: September 2007Posts: 1

Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED DX AF-S Nikkor review by powerlight

Review Date: 9/10/2007

Would you recommend the product? No |
Total Spent: $930.00| Rating: 3

Pros:

Cons:

The vignetting effect is too drastic for a single image

Recently I was given a Nikon D40 kit, in using the 55-200 DX lens I have found that the vignetting effect at the edges of the lens are as much a 2 F stop difference from center of photograph to edge at 175 focal length. The vignetting effect is too drastic for a single image and for multiple images or panorama style photographs, thus making it impossible to Photo-merge using Photoshop SC3.

biraz

Registered: January 2007Posts: 3

Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED DX AF-S Nikkor review by biraz

Review Date: 1/14/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $180.00| Rating: 8

Pros:

sharp, image quality, bokeh, no CA

Cons:

manual focus ring not very usable, slow autofocus

I bought this lens in a double lens kit (along with 18-55) with my D50. So I paid 150 euros from a legitimate Nikon dealer (a very good price in Italy; list price for the lens alone is 289 euros). I was not expecting very much, but I discovered that this lens delivers very sharp images even wide open and at 200mm, with vibrant colors, exceptional bokeh and chromatic aberration virtually absent, even in the corners. Best use is probably for candid portraits in bright days.

Two caveats: autofocus can be slow, and you can't really use the manual focus ring. But I don't use manual focus very much, and find the overall image quality much more important. Very recommended for the price.

trentdp

Registered: September 2006Posts: 26

Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED DX AF-S Nikkor review by trentdp

Review Date: 1/5/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $200.00| Rating: 8

Pros:

Really great light sharp lens

Cons:

Slow to focus

You may pay a lot more for another lens but the bang for the buck on this one is just hard to beat! I had the comparable Sigma 50-200 which I paid about $175 for but it in no way compares in image quality to this Nikon. It is relatively slow to focus compared to other higher priced Nikon products but generally for static (particularly landscape elements) or slow moving subjects it is perfectly acceptable. I have read similar positive comments in other forums and can report that it is a keeper for me. Nikon just lowered the price on this lens and I suggest that you buy one if the focal range is what you are looking for. It is a great walk around lense if you predetermine that you will limit your shooting to the 55 to 200 range for that outing. You may find a cheaper price by shopping on the web, but for me Ritz Camera is one of my preferred providers as well as BH Photo.

leprechaun

Registered: December 2006Posts: 7

Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED DX AF-S Nikkor review by leprechaun

Review Date: 12/25/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $199.99| Rating: 9

Pros:

small, light with fast and snappy autofocus

Cons:

maual focus ring is tiny and hard to find with eye to viewfinder. No depth of field scale on lens.

This is my favorite focal length zoom. It gives me all the range I need to grab what my eye has picked out, and compose perfectly 95% of the time.

Small and light, this is my favorite walk-around lens. It doesn't change the feel of my camera the way a 70-200, 80-200 or 70-300 does. My neck thanks me at the end of the day.

I'd like a better manul focus ring and a depth of field scale, but honestly, I don't miss them much when shooting.

The autofocus is fast and quiet. Makes for good candid shots. Sharp wide open for great portrait too.

Tosiek

Registered: December 2006Posts: 5

Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED DX AF-S Nikkor review by Tosiek

Review Date: 12/6/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $200.00| Rating: 7

Pros:

Small, lightweight, inexpensive

Cons:

Not very sharp, significant distortion, slow AF

My first telephoto lens. I use it mainly for sports and portraits. It lacks VR, though, so you either need good light or a tripod.
There is some pincushion distortion. CA is not a problem. Sharpness isn't great, however.
Build quality is mediocre.
The AF is a bit slow, but if you take pictures of football players that are all far away from you, it's not a problem.

danwatson

Registered: December 2006Posts: 7

Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED DX AF-S Nikkor review by danwatson

Review Date: 12/4/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $200.00| Rating: 8

Pros:

Excellant Color, Contrast, and Sharpness, superb Bokeh

Cons:

Super slow auto-focus, cheap build, poor manual focus ring

I purchased this lens a couple of months after recieving the Nikon 70-300g as part of a Nikon D50 kit. Though I like the 70-300g, I desired better IQ. After spending time reading reviews here at slrgear.com and other sites, I noticed a trend: that this lens was quite the perfomer for the price.

The 55-200DX is small, super light, and made of cheap plastics. The overall build is subpar, but the IQ really makes up the difference. Color and contrast are very good on this lens and detail is also top-notch considering the price. Even wide-open this lens is an excellant performer end-to-end. Two things this lens does extremely well (but not noted for) is 'macro' and 'bokeh'. The 9 blade aperture design produces some super creamy bokeh which is simply stunning. Auto-focus is silent (AF-S), but super slow (though accurate). Even with all the cons mentioned, I would highly recommend this lens without a second thought because of it's impressive IQ.

kenunger

Registered: December 2005Posts: 3

Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED DX AF-S Nikkor review by kenunger

Review Date: 12/10/2005

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 8

Pros:

light weight, sharpness, absence of CA

Cons:

slow focus

This lens surprised my friends and myself on it's very good quality color rendition, contrast and sharpness. The focus is a little slow buts when I am shooting wide angle and want to bring a small light weight tele-zoom "for just in case" this lens is perfect for my needs

RMH

Registered: November 2005Posts: 4

Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED DX AF-S Nikkor review by RMH

Review Date: 11/20/2005

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $250.00| Rating: 6

Pros:

Size, weight, price,

Cons:

image quality

This consumer orientated lens gives good picture quality when stopped down at f/8. At any other values don't expect miracles.
While 200mm (300mm equivalent) sounds like a good deal the diaphragm is f5.6, so you really need to use a tripod or high ISO to avoid blurry pics. Otherwise this lens is more intented for outdoor usage in bright light.
Focussing is quite slow for an AF-S, so don't buy this lens is you need to take actionshots.
Overall a good lens for its's price as long as you don't expect any miracles.

rob

Registered: October 2005Posts: 2

Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED DX AF-S Nikkor review by rob

Review Date: 10/21/2005

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 7

Pros:

sharp, light, small

Cons:

slow autofocus, not good for action photography

Bought this and used it at downhill mtb event. Reverted to 18-70 as it was missing too many shots.
Fine for landscape and portrait as optically it fine.